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Question: I'm a solopreneur, but I want to make my company appear
like a larger entity to the outside world. What can I do?

Answer: Build a Big, Big Brand

"The best way I've found to seem bigger and more influential
than you actually are is by building and maintaining a powerful
brand. If you, your work, and your opinions are everywhere, the
question of how many people you have working for you will likely
never come up. And if it does, those asking will be even more
impressed that it's just you making such a large impact."

"One of the best ways I've seen lately is to team up with a
bigger player in your business niche and "lend" their credibility
and brand to boost yours (and thus, make you seem like a bigger
fish). A few ways to do this are to co-host a business challenge
together online or in some business event or launch a new
product/service together. End result: Stronger brand, bigger
public image."

"Many students are looking for unpaid internships. If you
work with a volunteer intern, they can answer your phones for
you, respond to emails and come to pitch meetings with you. You
are going to seem like a larger company, and you are doing a good
deed by giving a younger person work experience."

"The biggest entities are known for their fantastic design
and branding. Most companies that have well-designed collateral,
websites, and products are perceived as more important and
prestigious. Spend time thinking through your brand and choose
colors and design templates that reflect how you want to be
perceived."

"Create email addresses for different "people" and
"departments" in your company, even if they all forward to you --
no one has to know that! For example, create a separate email
address for accounting, legal, HR, etc."

"Hire a virtual assistant to act as a gatekeeper between you
and the outside world -- answering emails, scheduling
appointments, etc. This is not only good for appearance, but
it'll also help you only focus on the bigger picture items while
leaving the minutia to a VA."

"Do everything to make the perfect first impression -- you
only get one. Employee uniforms, toll-free phone number with
extensions for different departments (even if they all route to
you) and professional voicemail greetings. Harness a succinct
pitch, firm handshake and more. Picture your company five years
from now, then act the part and do everything possible to grow
into that image."

"A while back, a major airline found that crumbs on the tray
table made anxious flyers even more nervous. That is, people
equated crumbs on the tray table with overall sub-par airplane
maintenance. The same goes for your business. If you have
grammatical errors, no calls to action, no social media presence,
etc. then it looks representative of a young and inexperienced
firm."

"By simply calling yourself the CEO, founder, or another
executive title, you and your company will automatically sound
bigger than if you refer to yourself by a technician's title.
Besides, one of the joys of being an entrepreneur is that you can
promote yourself anytime!"

"The first impression a potential client will likely get
about your company will come from your website. Create a great
network of freelancers, and ask them for permission to post their
bios on your site. If they frequently work with you, also give
them email addresses. What matters most is that you have a good
team to support your client's needs. As your business builds,
your team will grow."

"Using social media to interact with your community is a
cheap and effective way to appear like a larger company. With the
ability to create multiple profiles, you can comment and engage
with a community from different viewpoints using a similar brand
alignment. If you use social media intelligently, you can easily
stretch out the image of your solo project."

"Perception is reality, especially online. You wouldn't go to
an industry event wearing a raggedy T-shirt and jeans. On the
flip side, if you're wearing a fresh suit or a crisp shirt and
loafers, you look like money. The same goes for the web -- create
a website that makes you look super fresh, and you will be."

"There are few things more valuable than a Pennsylvania
Avenue or Madison Avenue address for $80 per month. With virtual
offices, such as Regus, you can use a prestigious address, have
phones answered by a receptionist, and hold client meetings in
beautiful board rooms at a low hourly rate. I highly recommend
it."

"A strategic way to "fake it till you make it" as a
solopreneur is to bring on interns and have them reach out to
others as "associates." This will make your company appear like
it has multiple employees -- even though it's just you."

The Young
Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only nonprofit
organization comprised of the world’s most promising young
entrepreneurs. The YEC leads #FixYoungAmerica, a solutions-based movement that
aims to end youth unemployment and put young Americans back to
work.